This study is aimed to investigate the effect of carbon nanotubes on the properties of lightweight aggregate concrete containing expanded glass and silica aerogel. Combinations of expanded glass (55%) and hydrophobic silica aerogel particles (45%) were used as lightweight aggregates. Carbon nanotubes were sonicated in the water with polycarboxylate superplasticizer by ultrasonication energy for 3 min. Study results show that incorporating multi-wall carbon nanotubes significantly influences the compressive strength and microstructural performance of aerogel based lightweight concrete. The addition of carbon nanotubes gained almost 41% improvement in compressive strength. SEM image of lightweight concrete shows a homogeneous dispersal of carbon nanotubes within the concrete structure. SEM image of the composite shows presence of C–S–H gel surrounding the carbon nanotubes, which confirms the cites of nanotubes for the higher growth of C–S–H gel. Besides, agglomeration of carbon nanotubes and the presence of ettringites was observed in the transition zone between the silica aerogel and cementitious materials. Additionally, flowability, water absorption, microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and semi-adiabatic calorimetry results were analyzed in this study.
A novel method based on the combination of simultaneous cold plasma treatment with Mg nanoparticles deposition, applied to Mung bean seeds by improving their quality, is presented. The SRIM simulation reveals that only the very top layer of the seeds surface can be altered by the plasma. The experimental analysis indicates surface composition changes with a polar groups formation. These groups initiate the shift of surface characteristics from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. The chemical bond analysis shows the formation of MgO and Mg(OH)2 compounds, which acts as a positive factor for seeds germination and growth. The germination experiments showed a 70% outcome with an average of 73.9 mm sprouts length after 30 min of plasma treatment compared to the initial seeds (40% outcome and 71.3 mm sprouts length).
The growing level of wastewater as well as pollution of freshwater by various bacteria are essential worldwide issues which have to be solved. In this contribution, nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 films deposited by magnetron sputtering on high-density polystyrene (HDPE) beads were applied as floating photocatalysts for Salmonella Typhimurium bacterial inactivation in water for the first time. Additionally, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye in the presence of HDPE beads with TiO2 film under UV-B irradiation was investigated. The suitability to adopt such floating photocatalyst structures for practical applications was tested in cycling experiments. The detailed surface morphology, crystal structure, elemental mapping, surface chemical composition and bond analysis of deposited TiO2 films were investigated by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope techniques. The bacterial viability as well as MB decomposition experiments showed promising results by demonstrating that 6% of bacterial colonies were formed after the first run and only about 1% after the next four runs, which is an appropriate outcome for practical applications. NPN uptake results showed that the permeability of the outer membrane was significantly increased as well.
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